Generally, mist device which is installed on the ceiling of a bathroom to turn the bathroom into a sauna room has been known as an exemplary type of a sauna device.
As for sauna, there is a dry sauna for making a high-temperature and low-humidity environment in which an inside temperature is about 100° C. and a relative humidity is about 10%, or a steam sauna for making a moderate-high-temperature and high humidity environment in which an inside temperature is about 40 to 50° C. and a relative humidity is about 70% or more. Recently, attention has been focused on a sauna device which is installed in a bathroom, a shower room, or the like thereby allowing the bathroom or the shower room itself to be used as a sauna room, and various steam sauna devices have been proposed.
FIG. 25 is a main-part sectional view schematically illustrating an inner structure according to an example of a known sauna device.
As shown in FIG. 25, a sauna device includes blower device 105, which is installed on ceiling 101 of a bathroom, and is adapted to take air within the bathroom from air inlet 103 by use of blower fan 102 and send the air to the inside of the bathroom from blowing port 104. The sauna device also includes steam generating device 108, which is provided on blower device 105, and is adapted to allow steam heater 107 to generate steam by heating water supplied via water-supply pipe 106 and eject the steam from nozzle 109 in the bathroom. As for documentary information of the related art, for example, Patent Document 1 has been known.
In the known sauna device, since there is used a method of performing humidification by allowing steam heater 107 to heat water, water at room temperature is heated from room temperature to a certain temperature, and is vaporized and humidified by being injected from nozzle 109. However, in order to turn a space within the bathroom into a moderate-high-temperature sauna space of a temperature of 40 to 50° C. and a relative humidity of 70 to 100%, it is required that the hot water to be injected from nozzle 109 have a temperature of 50° C. or more. Since there is used a method of direct injection from nozzle 109 into the bathroom, in order for a sauna user to take a sauna without an uncomfortable feeling, an injection temperature of 50 to 70° C. is preferable for bodily sensation though the bodily sensation also depends on the temperature in the bathroom at that time, and it is also required that the hot water to be injected have a temperature of 50° C. or more even in view of bodily sensation. Accordingly, a large heat amount is required to heat water at room temperature to the temperature of 50 to 60° C., and a huge amount of energy is required to be supplied. Specifically, a large amount of electricity is required to heat water by use of steam heater 107, and construction for treating high current should be performed. In order to increase the inside temperature of the bathroom by use of only the hot water injected from nozzle 109, a huge amount of injection water is required, and as a result, more energy is required to be supplied.
In order to warm the inside of the bathroom effectively, another known sauna device shown in FIG. 26 is configured to be used in combination with hot-air heater 110. However, there are needed two heaters such as hot-air heater 110 for heating air and steam heater 107 for heating water, and thus a huge amount of energy is required to be supplied. As described above, in such known devices, water is turned into hot water by using electricity when a special heat source such as a water heater is not used. Thus, there are problems that a large amount of energy is required for inputting and high running cost is required in order to drive the sauna device. Accordingly, it is required to reduce running cost, that is, electric power consumption, or to shorten a time period until taking a bath after starting to drive the sauna device by early start.
There is also a problem that the device is undesirable in bodily sensation since the hot water ejected from nozzle 109 is directly sprayed into the bathroom and comes into contact with the sauna user's body.
Since droplets come into contact with the body, there is a problem that it is hard to read a book in the bathroom and it is hard to wash the user's body while driving the sauna device. Thus, it is required to provide a space free from restriction in action such as reading even in the sauna room.
FIG. 27 is a view illustrating an internal structure of a sauna device disclosed as a spray device, according to another example of such a known sauna device.
In the spray device of the known type, spray nozzle 201 is disposed in a fan duct in which an anterior end portion is bent in a spray direction and a spray orifice is formed on the anterior end. In the spray device for ejecting a spray liquid from spray nozzle 201 and blowing it from the spray orifice, there is known a configuration in which first air blowing port 202 is formed on an upper border of a spray orifice and second air blowing port 203 is formed on a lower border of the spray orifice so as to blow air from the first and second air blowing port and eject spray liquid from the spray orifice.
As for documentary information of the related art, for example, Patent Document 2 has been known.
In the spray device disclosed in Patent Document 2, to bend a sound propagation direction and to provide a curved pipe on a blowing port are considered as means for reducing the spray noise. However, in the sauna device used in bathroom, not only the spray noise but also air-blower noise such as wind noise generated from a fan motor are echoed in the bathroom, thereby causing uncomfortable feeling.
When a user relaxes in the sauna space and reads a book with glasses, large humidified air particles easily adhere to the user's body, temperature humidity distribution is inappropriate, glasses are fogged, and dew condensation water drops on the book, thereby causing uncomfortable feeling.
At the time of drying clothes, drying marks may occur, thereby causing uncomfortable feeling.
FIG. 28 is a side sectional view illustrating a mist functional sauna device used in a bathroom, according to another example of such a known sauna device.
As shown in FIG. 28, such a type of the sauna device includes heated-air-blowing section 302 which blows air heated by heating section 301 for heating air, humidifying section 303, humidified-air-blowing section 304 which blows air humidified by the means of humidifying section 303, suction port 305, and blowing port 306. The sauna device is adapted to merge the heated air from heated-air-blowing section 302 with the humidified air from humidified-air-blowing section 304 just before blowing port 306, and blow the heated and humidified air from blowing port 306. The sauna device uses a configuration in which humidifying section 303 breaks up the hot water for humidification by contacting the hot water to a blade which is rotated by a motor. As for documentary information of the related art, for example, Patent Document 3 has been known.
In the known sauna device, heated-air-blowing section 302 and humidified-air-blowing section 304 are separated, and two air ducts are required. Since a large number of components are required, its structure becomes complicated, and its product weight becomes heavy. Thus, there are problems that maintenance is difficult and product cost is high, and so reduction in the number of components is required.
There is also a problem that the drive sound is noisy because of the motor sound and the sound generated when the blade breaks up water. Thus, reduction in drive sound is required.
FIGS. 29 and 30 are a side configuration view illustrating a bathroom heating/drying device as another example of such a known sauna device and a perspective view illustrating a circulation unit thereof, respectively.
The known bathroom heating/drying device is configured as shown in the drawing. In the device, circulation unit 311 is integrally formed of circulation motor 307, circulation blower fan 308, circulation component 309, and heat exchanger 310 using hot water to perform heating. The unit is mounted on external casing 312. Circulation part 315 has suction opening 313 and transpiration opening 314 formed on the lower side thereof. Circulation part 315 is provided with circulation-part partition plate 116 which separates suction opening 313 and transpiration opening 314. As for documentary information of the related art, for example, Patent Document 4 has been known.
This bathroom heating device is configured such that circulation unit 311 is disposed on the substantially center of the device, and is communicated with transpiration opening 314 through a substantially straight ventilation flue. Hence, the humidifying section should be provided in the ventilation flue when the mist function is added. However, there is a problem that to provide the humidifying section in the ventilation flue is difficult in view of space. Thus, it is required that installation of the humidifying section becomes easier.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2003-207176
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H02-233167
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2006-212246
[Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2005-3343